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- [00:00]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest For Albertsons and Safeway. Spring is here, which means it's time to do some spring cleaning. Because a clean home is a happy home. Now through March 25, shop in store or online and get great savings on all your spring cleaning essentials like Windex Glass Cleaner, Lysol Disinfectant, Spray Scrubbing Bubbles, Bathroom Cleaner and Febreze Fabric Refresher. Hurry in before those deals are gone. Offer ends March 25. Promotions may vary. Restrictions apply. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [00:29]
Lenovo Representative
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- [01:29]
Steven Furtick
At Ameca Insurance, we know it's more than just a house. It's your home. The place that's filled with memories. The early days of figuring it out to the later years of still figuring.
- [01:46]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
It out.
- [01:50]
Steven Furtick
For the place you've put down roots. Trust Amica Home Insurance Amica empathy is our best policy. Hey, this is Steven Furtick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. One thing I want to point out to you that you may not be aware of. We typically group our messages in different series. I decided to preach a series called Savage Jesus. Why I did it is because I'm tired of us pretending like Jesus is safe. One reason I wanted to use the term savage Jesus is because I knew religious people wouldn't like it. We typically like our heroes better safe, and we typically like them better after they're dead. You notice this sometimes, don't you? The way we present our heroes is we prefer a certain version of them that is safe. That doesn't offend us. One of the things I hope about Dr. Graham's legacy is that he Is not just remembered for only the amazing invitations he gave, but for the barriers he broke down. It's good that we take a little time this week to share some of his quotes about heaven, but what he did here on earth in bringing heaven to earth and driving back darkness. Dr. Graham, Dr. DeMoss was a savage in his own way. What he did in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1953, that was the most savage thing I ever read about, where he tore down the barriers they had set up to keep black people separated from white people at his crusade and looked at two white ushers and said, you can either leave those down or have the crusade without me. That's pretty savage. I kind of like that version of Dr. Graham, not just. My wife and I often talk about this, how for us growing up, Ray Charles was the Pepsi guy because we came into his legacy at a time when he was older. That's what we knew him as. We disregarded. You see this happen every year on the day we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You see the same three quotes. I've decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. The same three quotes, I've been to the mountain, same three quotes.
- [04:40]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
But Dr. King did a whole lot.
- [04:42]
Steven Furtick
More than go to the mountain and have a dream.
- [04:45]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
He went to prison. He suffered not only the scorn of.
- [04:51]
Steven Furtick
Those he was trying to fight against, but those he was fighting for. When you forget that, when you sanitize somebody down to the point that you try to make them almost like we make them a mascot.
- [05:04]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Do you ever see those little toys where you pull the string?
- [05:07]
Steven Furtick
And they have a few sayings they say. And there are five things they say.
- [05:11]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
I'm afraid we've done that with Jesus. I'm afraid we've got it down to the point now where we have a few things Jesus said. Love people and turn the other cheek. And a few little things. Images of Jesus, shepherd Jesus with pull string. And he says nice comforting things. Little Jesus we put on the shelf and he says the things we want to hear. You even hear people sometimes, they'll say, well, that doesn't sound very much like Jesus. Did you ever read some of the things Jesus really said? Jesus was more than free hugs and warm feelings. Jesus was. Are you ready? A savage. Jesus walked in church one day. The poor people were being exploited by being sold sacrifices at a marked up price and they could not afford them, so they were excluded from worship because the temple had become more about profit and power than it had about the presence of God. Do you Know what Jesus did?
- [06:21]
Steven Furtick
He prayed about it.
- [06:28]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
He posted on Pinterest about it. This is not Pinterest, Jesus. This. Jesus started kicking over tables. He ripped out the ATM machines. He drove out the tax collectors with a whip. Put that on Pinterest. Woe to you, Pharisees. Blind guys.
- [06:53]
Steven Furtick
Strain out a gnat, swallow a camel.
- [06:55]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
You are of your father, the devil.
- [06:57]
Steven Furtick
I never saw that on a coffee mug. You are of your father. I am the way, the truth and the life. We like that Jesus. Jesus was a savage. He answered them. Not a word. Because he was the word. He got so mad at death that he decided to overturn it.
- [07:20]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
He got so cramped in his grave.
- [07:23]
Steven Furtick
That after the price had been paid, after he had done what needed to be done.
- [07:30]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
He kicked the end off of a borrowed grave. Why borrowed?
- [07:34]
Steven Furtick
He wasn't going to be there long. He was a savage when he got up.
- [07:39]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
I have to show you one thing. I should save this for Easter. But the Bible says he folded the linen they had wrapped him in. He was so savage. He folded it because when you fold a linen at a meal, it means, I will be back when he comes back. He's not coming back. Like a lamb. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. I feel his presence in this place.
- [08:11]
Steven Furtick
So let's get started in the series. Mark, chapter one, verses 1:15, records these. The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the son of God. It is written in Isaiah, the prophet. I will send my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way. A voice of one calling in the desert. Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him. Interesting that Mark does not start with. With the birth of Jesus Christ. I wonder if he does that so we will not be so attached to our image of him as a baby. Do you remember that movie with the race car driver? Do you remember? He said, I like the baby Jesus the best. A lot of us do. We worship a certain version of Jesus that is saying, well, Mark isn't going to give us that portrait of Jesus. And it's correctly called a portrait because scholars say that Mark's Gospel is not only the oldest gospel, from which the other gospel writers would take the base information and add their own commentary. But one of the things about Mark's gospel that we will notice, because I plan to host our entire study from this gospel account, is that he wrote in terms of action. And you don't get in this gospel a lot of the commentary about what Jesus actually taught. You get more of a picture. The scholar I studied said Mark writes with a paintbrush. He would rather show you than tell you. Because the highest level of proclamation of the Gospel is demonstration, not explanation. Some people can explain to you all about propitiation and atonement, but they're so mean to their wife. Why would I want a Jesus that can't keep you from treating your family like crap? Mark is going to show us portraits of Jesus. We will be looking at at least five or six in this series. But he starts it off and he goes to this scene in verse four. And so John came. And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him confessing their sins. They were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John was a savage. He wore clothing made of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild gluten, loaded honey. This was his message. After me will come one more powerful than I. After me will come one more powerful than I. The thongs of whose sandals I am.
- [11:02]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Not worthy to stoop down and untie.
- [11:06]
Steven Furtick
I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. A voice came from heaven. You are my son, whom I love. With you I am well pleased. At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert. And he was in the desert 40 days. Being tempted by Satan, he was with the wild animals and angels attended him. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good News. I want to use as a construct for this first message. Before and after. Before and after. The way I study scriptures. I was telling Buck the other day. I don't know if he was listening, but I was trying to explain to him between sets how I look for little words and commonalities in a text. That's a great way for you to study the Scripture as well, to observe patterns in the Scripture. It'll help you know what to pay attention to. I was noticing in this passage of scripture. In verse 4 it says, John came. In verse 7, it says, after me, one will come. In verse 9 it says, Jesus came. And in verse 11 it says, A voice came in verse 13, it says, the angels came. So John came. One will come. Jesus came. A voice came. Angels came. I guess you could see we're getting a picture here of Jesus Christ on the come up. And we start with this very powerful statement of validation where the Father says, you are my Son, whom I love. With you I am well pleased. But before that validation happened, there is a preparation that is mentioned. I think preparation is so important. Obviously so does God, because when he sent his Son into the world, before he performed any miracles, before he raised any dead people, before he opened any blinded eyes, he went through the waters of baptism. Before he went through the waters of baptism, this man called John, who was an unlikely looking preacher, who did not fit the stereotype of how a clergyman should dress, was preparing the way for the Lord. I've broken this introductory message into four sections. The first one is called preparation. Prepare the way for the Lord. So John came to prepare the way for Jesus. Jesus came from Nazareth. Mark said, this is the beginning of.
- [14:19]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
The Gospel, but it was not the.
- [14:21]
Steven Furtick
Beginning of the life of Christ.
- [14:23]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
The life of Christ in its early years took place primarily in Nazareth.
- [14:29]
Steven Furtick
When I say Nazareth, it means nothing to you other than that you associate it perhaps with Jesus.
- [14:35]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
And it meant next to nothing to the people in Jesus day. In fact, Nazareth was the kind of place I grew up in, a place that is famous for its culture and its impact.
- [14:50]
Steven Furtick
I grew up in Moncks Corner, but.
- [14:52]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Some of you grew up in places like Nazareth. Nazareth was a no name place for no name people. So when the Bible says Jesus came from Nazareth, it means the Son of God and the Savior of the world came from an unexpected place. John the Baptist, who many scholars associate with the tribe of the Essenes, was preparing the way in the wilderness. Jesus was coming up in Nazareth. Perhaps you've heard that he was a carpenter.
- [15:19]
Steven Furtick
I think it must have been a.
- [15:21]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Real trip to be making wood out of the trees you spoke into existence. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to make a table out of a tree you put in the ground? The Bible says in Colossians that all things were created and are sustained by.
- [15:41]
Steven Furtick
The power of His Word.
- [15:43]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Yet Jesus spent the first 30 in obscurity in Nazareth.
- [15:49]
Steven Furtick
They had a saying.
- [15:50]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Where are y'all from?
- [15:52]
Steven Furtick
Valdosta State.
- [15:53]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
They had a saying about Nazareth.
- [15:56]
Steven Furtick
They would say, can anything good come from Nazareth? They said that about Jesus because the authority he spoke with did not match the background he came from. The works he would do so outstripped.
- [16:12]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
The expectations of the people He Taught.
- [16:15]
Steven Furtick
With authority and not as one of.
- [16:17]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Their teachers of the law. They had a saying, can anything good come from Nazareth? That no name place for no name people. That place we don't plan our vacations to. Jesus came from Nazareth, not from Jerusalem.
- [16:36]
Steven Furtick
It would have made sense for him.
- [16:37]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
To come from Jerusalem, the center of the temple cult. It would have made sense for him to come from perhaps a place in the Roman Empire that was more empirically imperative. But Jesus came from Nazareth. The people wanted to know, can anything good come from Nazareth? But it was his place of preparation. When God has a great purpose for your life, he will often involve a season of obscurity. Let's be honest about it. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It's not like Jesus needed to learn what he already was. But even Jesus went through a season of obscurity before he fulfilled his purpose. Some of you are in Nazareth right now and you're wondering the same thing the people wondered about Jesus. Can anything good come from Nazareth? Can anything good come from singleness? Can anything good come from losing my job? Can anything good come from come from cancer? Can anything good come from middle school? Can anything good come from a broken heart? Can anything good come from depression? Can anything good come from divorce? But I love him because he takes the most unlikely places and fulfills the greatest purpose. I need you to shout right now if you've ever been in Nazareth, wondering, God, what am I doing here? Jesus came from Nazareth.
- [18:19]
Steven Furtick
Great things come from small places. New beginnings come from dead ends. Jesus came from Nazareth. It was his place of preparation. Preparation is kind of the opposite of the primary value of our day. We live in the age of instant validation. Instead of thinking an issue through, we post it immediately to see if we can get someone to agree or disagree with us just because we want attention. See how quiet it gets when I preach real good.
- [19:00]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Did you see how they were shouting.
- [19:02]
Steven Furtick
Like 47 seconds ago? Did you see how quickly all the.
- [19:05]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Shouts dissipated from the room? Just because I told you the truth, There is nothing off limits. We will stage our kids. Instead of raising them, we're staging them for the approval of people. Stand here. Shut up.
- [19:22]
Steven Furtick
Smile.
- [19:26]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
I yelled at you all day. But if I can post something, then that made it look like we had a good day. Maybe somebody will tell me I'm a good mom. If it's too much, come give me chunks. I don't want to tear the church apart. On the first week of the series, I was planning to do like six weeks. But I don't know if we're going to survive. The first Jesus came from Nazareth.
- [19:57]
Steven Furtick
He was baptized by John. That confused me at first.
- [20:01]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
So if you're reading this and you're.
- [20:03]
Steven Furtick
Like, I don't read the Bible much, but that's kind of weird. Don't you get baptized because you need to be forgiven of your sin? Isn't Jesus the one who didn't have any sin? That's what John thought. John was surprised when Jesus came to be baptized. He's lining them up and he's dunking them. John's baptism was not like ours. You know how our baptism, we let you read something and share something. John was such a savage. One time he looked at the crowd and said, who told you to come out here, you brood of vipers?
- [20:39]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
What if, when you got in the tank, let's go to Gaston for a baptism. Can you imagine Ken Hester telling that.
- [20:47]
Steven Furtick
Big boy that was in the tank today?
- [20:49]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
I was so nervous Ken was going to drop him.
- [20:52]
Steven Furtick
Imagine if he called him a snake.
- [20:53]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Before he dunked him. John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He was fighting against the oppression of the system that had made principles more important than people. He was rebuking, really, the leaders. And he'd say, you snakes, repent. You snakes, repent. You snakes repent. He turns around and there's the Savior of the world. You savior of the world, I should baptize you. I was just telling them, I'm not fit to tie your shoes. This isn't right.
- [21:37]
Steven Furtick
But Jesus said something, and Mark doesn't give it to us because probably I really believe this. Hold on. I'm OCD and this thing is crooked. Probably Mark was writing his recollections not based on his own personal experience. We don't even historically know who mark was with 100% accuracy. But we have reason to believe these recollections were based on the memory of Peter. Peter who tried so hard to keep Jesus from the cross. Peter, who had an expectation of an earthly kingdom that would overthrow Rome. It really matches the style of Peter that Mark's gospel would include very little detail. It's just really one thing after another after another. His favorite word Mark uses, and you'll see it over and over again when you come back to church. Every week of this series is immediately or suddenly, Jesus is on the move. The thing about it was, for half of Mark's gospel, Jesus is on the move through Galilee where he did his ministry. The other half, he's Headed to the cross, the place he came for all along. Peter did not understand that before, but he did after. There is a breathlessness of this gospel that comes across because Jesus is headed to the cross, headed to his purpose, headed to redemption, which makes possible reconciliation. He has no time to waste. So we will forgive Mark if he leaves out a lot of the details. He just tells us that Jesus came and was baptized. But Matthew tells us, because there are four gospel accounts, Jesus told John the reason he did it. He said, this must be done to fulfill all righteousness. In other words, it was an act of obedience. If there's any word that might be more unpopular than preparation in our culture, it's obedience. Nobody tells me what to do. I pray to Jesus during football games, but nobody tells me what to do. Jesus power was in his submission to the will of his Father. He said, I have to do this in obedience. John said, it doesn't make sense. Jesus said, it doesn't have to make sense. It is written and therefore it must be accomplished. John doesn't argue with him about it. He just does it when he does it. The Bible says a dove came from heaven, descended on him. The dove is often used to symbolize peace. Here it is a symbolic indication of the presence of the Holy Spirit. God validates the sonship of Jesus Christ. This is different than the transfiguration Hollywood. In the transfiguration, which happens many chapters later, he will say, this is my son, whom I love. Listen to him here. It's personal. He says, you are my son, whom I love. With you, I am well pleased. It is a direct validation of Jesus ministry. It came after Jesus obedience. I'm afraid a lot of times we want validation before obedience. But validation does not come before obedience. It comes. Say the word. This is a message of before and after. Notice what hasn't happened yet. At the moment God the Father validates his Son, Jesus has not opened the first blinded eye. Jesus has not healed anybody of leprosy or cleansed them of their condition. Jesus has not caused any lame people to walk, not at this point. Jesus has not even taught the crowds in a way that would captivate them to the point that they would stay and skip dinner just to hear what this man has to say. Jesus has not packed out the house to the point that some men will tear off a roof to get their friend in so he can be healed. He has done none of that yet. Before he ever performs his first miracle, the Heavenly Father speaks a word of validation. Maybe you need to hear that God's.
- [26:23]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Love for you is never based on your performance before he ever did anything. It's kind of like he got the trophy before he even showed up for practice. It's kind of like God does not validate how people validate. People will validate you based on what you do for them. People will validate you based on the value your actions carry that will contribute directly to their well being. But God does not validate based on performance. He validates based on relationship. He did not validate what Jesus would do. He validated who he was. Just in case you haven't heard it in a while and you feel kind of dirty and kind of ashamed of yourself and kind of like you don't belong in the presence of God and kind of like you're not one of those good church people. I want you to know you're still his child. You're still made in his image. You're still bought with his blood. Every drop he spilled was on purpose. One of those drops had your name on it. If the blood was enough for me, it was enough for you. You don't have to spill. Stand here ashamed and look forward to one day when God will never love you any more than he loves you. Right now. I said you are free right now. Loved right now. Cleansed right now. Healed right now. I am his child. I am excited. Accepted.
- [28:00]
Steven Furtick
Jesus did not perform his ministry for acceptance. That's why he didn't care what anybody thought about it. When you know somebody more important approves of you, it makes the opinions of people a whole lot less significant. Isn't that true? I don't know. I don't care. This sounds bad. This sounds unpastoral. I don't care as much what you think about this sermon. I care. I will check Facebook, Instagram. But before that, before everybody say before, I'll walk off the stage, Holly will meet me and I'll look at her and she'll be like, you slayed it.
- [29:02]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
When she says that, that will matter a little bit more.
- [29:10]
Steven Furtick
Because she lives with me.
- [29:14]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
If the person who knows me the best. Here's what I have to say and feels like it was aligned with the character of my life. I don't need the gram. No, I think this is important. I think it's so important that we receive the validation of God each day or we will need from people what they are not capable of giving us. How are they going to accept you? Unconditionally. They don't even like themselves some of the time. John came.
- [30:05]
Steven Furtick
That's Preparation. A voice came. That's validation.
- [30:08]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
But notice when the voice spoke. Church teaching. This little stuff in the Bible. Don't just read seven verses. Get coffee and post about it. Don't post about it. Read it. Slow down. Read.
- [30:19]
Steven Furtick
Came before he performed any miracles. It was not contingent upon his performance, and it came after his obedience. At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth to Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Check it out. Verse 10 on the screen. Is it on there? As he was coming up. That means as he was doing what he was supposed to do, as he was coming up, he saw heaven torn open. Is that what it says? My eyes are closed. I'm depending on you to validate the heaven is torn open. The voice spoke. So he saw vision. He heard a voice, but he didn't see it until he was on the way up. So it meant he went all the way out to the Jordan, got in the water, went down, and on the way up, God said, I'm proud of you. When he came up. Notice this. The synergy of the text is when he came up, the dove came down. When he came up to fulfill that which was spoken of, that which was prophesied about him in obedience, when he came up. Here's where a lot of us get it twisted.
- [31:45]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
We want the dove to come down.
- [31:47]
Steven Furtick
Before we get into the waters of obedience.
- [31:51]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
We want God to give us peace.
- [31:53]
Steven Furtick
About a decision we know we need to make.
- [31:57]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
But I found out that peace comes after obedience. When Jesus went down into the waters, which signified his death and came back up, which signified his resurrection, it was on the way up. It was as he was doing the will of His Father. It was as he was in the process of fulfilling the purpose. He was put on the earth for that. He saw the heavens open and he heard the voice of God saying, this is my Son. The dove came down, but the dove didn't come down until Jesus came up. You know what? You are not going to get the peace of God in your situation until you commit yourself to obey what he's speaking to your heart. Peace comes after obedience. If you don't have the peace of God in your situation, God's peace might be awaiting your obedience.
- [33:02]
Steven Furtick
But we want to experience before what we can only experience after. So we put stuff off. I'll do it when I feel a piece about it. That's a Christian thing. Only Christians talk like that. People who don't have this religious jargon to throw around to cover up their lack of decisiveness have to either do it or don't, but we wait for a piece. I was just reading that text over and over.
- [33:33]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
As he was coming up, the dove.
- [33:34]
Steven Furtick
Didn'T follow him down to the water.
- [33:36]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Come on, Jesus, you have this. Come on. This is the right thing to do. The dove did not make its appearance until Jesus was already wept.
- [33:50]
Steven Furtick
Until you die to yourself and go.
- [33:54]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Down in the water.
- [33:54]
Steven Furtick
And as he was coming up, the dove came down. I had to do something the other day and I didn't want to do it. In my flesh, in my spirit, I am reborn. I told somebody I was going to do it, and they said, oh, I guess you have a peace about it. I said, no, that's why I'm doing it, because I want peace and I don't have peace. I have spent the last several months waiting for peace that only obedience can produce. The love of God did not come because Jesus obeyed. But the peace of God, the dove, the validation, came as he obeyed. I said, I'm going to do what I need to do and the peace will follow.
- [35:01]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
I'm going to do what doesn't make sense, and the peace will follow. I'm going to join an egroup at Elevation Church.
- [35:10]
Steven Furtick
I thought my leaders would shout, and.
- [35:13]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
The peace will follow. But the peace came after the obedience. Peace comes after obedience. Peace comes after obedience. It's my whole message, so I'm repeating it. In case you think this is a sub point, it is not. Everything up until now was just to tell you this. Lake Norman. Peace comes after obedience. Jesus went down. Jesus came up. As he's coming up. The dove comes down. The voice from heaven speaks. And the validation of Jesus Christ came after his obedience. Stop waiting to feel like it. Stop waiting for people to understand it. Stop waiting until everything gets just right. This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice today. If you hear his voice, do not harden your heart.
- [36:13]
Steven Furtick
Then the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. Peace. Here comes the dove. Here comes the dove. Here comes the dove. But this dove has a mind of his own. This dove, this Holy Spirit, that's what it symbolizes in the Bible. The dove comes down. The dove is so beautiful. Come on, lj, play some dove music. Some dove descending music. I think that's Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
- [37:07]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Then abrupt change. You have to get used to Mark.
- [37:12]
Steven Furtick
Because he's our tour guide for this.
- [37:14]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Entire series at once. He doesn't even give us time to hang out with the dove. Get a selfie with the dove at Once at once, immediately, suddenly, the spirit, the dove sent him into the desert. Why is he going to the desert? Verse 13 fills it in. And he was in the desert 40 days, being tempted by Satan. Why would the dove lead you into a place where the devil was waiting? I don't like that dove. I want the other dove. Give me the other dove real quick. And suddenly, right after the validation, came the temptation. Anytime God speaks a promise over your life, you will immediately have the opportunity to prove the promise in the desert. The same dove that presided over his baptism now leads him into the desert, which seems on the surface to be a contradiction of the Lord's prayer. You know, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Jesus taught us this prayer. Your will be done on earth. I know people think football locker room made this prayer up, but Jesus taught this prayer on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation. So why did the Spirit of God lead Jesus into the very temptation he told us to pray against?
- [39:13]
Steven Furtick
See, Jesus was a savage, and he knew what to do in the desert. He knew that the desert is the place where you prove the promise of God. I wanted to include this point because some of you are not in the place of validation as I speak today. You are in the place of temptation. Remember, Mark doesn't really break it down. He just tells us really quick. Because Peter has just given him the highlights and he's writing in a style that keeps the action moving. Because this thing is headed to the conflict of the cross and he has no time to waste. So he just tells us simply, he was in the desert 40 days. He doesn't even mention that Jesus didn't eat in those 40 days. He doesn't even mention it being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals and angels attended.
- [40:15]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
That's all he says about it.
- [40:17]
Steven Furtick
If I went 40 days with the.
- [40:18]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Animals, I would want to describe every detail of it.
- [40:24]
Steven Furtick
But Mark says he was there and he was tempted. But it didn't work, by the way. You don't have to explain every nuance of all of the trials you go through. Sometimes we are so busy describing what we are going through that we miss the opportunity to declare the praises of.
- [40:46]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
The one who brought us through it. He gives one verse to 40 days. He was tempted and then the angels came. But the angels did not come to protect him from the temptation. The angels came after the temptation. Sometimes we are expecting God to protect us from stuff when he wants to use the stuff to prove his power in our lives. So he puts you in a lonely place. But even in a lonely place, you are under an open heaven. The greatest temptation of life is to find your validation in a source other than Christ. It is life's greatest temptation. Where will you find your validation? Satan says to Jesus, if you're hungry, turn the stones into bread. Jesus said, I don't need it. I don't live by bread alone. I live on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. By the way, it's a bad idea to get in a scripture quotation contest with the one who is the word of God. He didn't just write it, he was it. Now you're debating Scripture with the one who is it in flesh? Then prove it. This is life's great temptation to find your validation in anything other than God. Prove it. Throw yourself off the temple. Prove it. Make more money. Prove it. Show them how great you are. Prove it. Jesus said, I don't need to prove it. It is written. I've already been validated in the waters, so I don't have to prove anything in the wilderness.
- [42:43]
Steven Furtick
I already ate. I do this anytime. I'm going over to somebody's house and I'm not sure if they can cook. It's just preemptive.
- [42:56]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
It's wisdom.
- [43:02]
Steven Furtick
Jesus said, I'm not hungry for that. Bow down and worship me. Why would I bow down to what is already under my feet? The angels came, and then the angels came. Not before the temptation, but after the demonstration.
- [43:28]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
So if God has put you in.
- [43:29]
Steven Furtick
A wilderness situation today, this could feel lonely. This could be emotional. This could be in your body.
- [43:36]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Every wilderness looks different. But the purpose for your wilderness is that you demonstrate the power of God in your life. And the power of God does not come until after.
- [43:50]
Steven Furtick
After, after. Maybe that's what faith is, is believing before what you will only understand after. By the time Mark writes down these miracles, it has been 30 years since they happened. Peter is talking to Mark, telling him what to write. He said. He said, I want you to use half of this Gospel account to talk about the last week in Jesus life. Peter was the one who told Jesus, you can't go to the cross. It will mess up our PR campaign. You can't die. That's bad for ratings. But after he had risen from the dead, then they remembered his words. The same disciple who spent all three years of Jesus ministry trying to keep him from the cross took half of the Gospel account. He Recollected to talk about the very thing that he wanted to keep Jesus from. It goes to show that some of the dry places we would avoid are the very places God will use the most. The key is, can I believe it before I see it? Can anything good come from Nazareth? Can anything good come from my dysfunctional past? Can anything good come from this season? I want out of so bad. Then the angels came. I came with an announcement. Your angel is already on the way. Your angel is on the way. Don't give in to the temptation to bow down and worship something that is less than God or to compromise your values in this season. You know who you are. You heard it in the waters of baptism.
- [46:27]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
This is my child.
- [46:29]
Steven Furtick
I am well pleased with him. This is my daughter. I am well pleased with her. That's my boy.
- [46:35]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
That's my girl.
- [46:36]
Steven Furtick
I have a purpose for you.
- [46:38]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
You do not doubt in the wilderness what God showed you in the water. Your angel is on the way. Your angel is on the way. Don't turn the stone into bread just yet. You're about to get some angel food cake. Your angel is on the way. The God of all grace, after you.
- [47:03]
Steven Furtick
Have suffered, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you, make you strong. The strength comes after the suffering. That's what Jesus knew. That's what he knew with the animals. That was proven after the angels. There is something today you need to believe that you cannot see. Something you need to believe that you cannot feel. It only makes sense on this side of the cross and after you have suffered. What verse was that that said after you have suffered? We just talked about it first. What first? Who? Same Peter. He finally got it after. But let's just take a moment. Let's do something that will really drive the devil out of our desert. Let's go ahead right now at every location and praise God before for what we will only understand after.
- [48:37]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
Come on, let's worship in the wilderness a little bit. If you don't feel it, good. That gives you a chance to prove that it's faith, not feeling faith, not feeling side.
- [48:57]
Steven Furtick
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this moment you have brought us to. We thank you for the voice that came from heaven that spoke into our souls today. That before we were ever created, you had a plan for our lives. That before we ever did anything right or wrong, you had already determined our purpose in the earth. We thank you that everything we're going through in this season in the wilderness will prepare us for the purpose you know about in our lives. That you know about. You know the plans you have for us. Plans to prosper us, not to harm us. To give us hope and a future. We thank youk for the Afternoon, but we want to thank you for the after while we're still living in the before. We don't want to wait for the angels to come to give you glory. We know that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that you are Lord to the glory of God the Father. But we don't want to wait for that day. So we make our decision to worship you right now and to declare. Declare right now that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We give you glory right now. Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. It's because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to Give now or visit elevationchurch.orgpodcast for more information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it with your friends. You can click the share button, take a screenshot and share it on your social stories and tag us LevationChurch. Thanks again for listening. God bless you.
- [50:48]
Ryan Seacrest
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- [51:27]
Co-Pastor or Associate Speaker
If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past.
- [51:29]
Ryan Seacrest
Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide and every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn more@discover.com credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report, Creativity doesn't wait, it moves.
- [51:51]
Lenovo Representative
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